Cap feeding and positioning means



y 1 A. w. KINNEY 2,836,323

CAP FEEDING AND POSITIONING MEANS Filed Nov. 4, 1955 I: Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 194F050 #4 Amwn grrmwfj May 27, 1958 A. w. KINNEY CAP FEEDING AND POSITIONING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1955 May 27, 1958 Filed Nov. 4, 1955 A. W. KINNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I m WNW 1 7 4 m WNW "21% I 1 w/t INVENTOR. 4; FRED 14 /f//v/vy E arm/7%? United States Patent CAP FEEDING AND POSITIONING MEANS Alfred W. Kinney, Washington, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Can Company, New York, N. a corporation of New Jersey Application November 4, 1955, Serial No. 545,076

2 Claims. (Cl. 221-211) This invention relates to a machine for feeding lids or caps of flexible material from a hopper to capping mechanism.

The invention has for its salient object to provide simple and practical mechanism for efliciently withdrawing flexible caps from a hopper and for feeding the caps into a position above a container to be capped.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form a part of this application, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing mechanism for withdrawing flexible caps, one at a time, from a hopper, and feeding and delivering the caps in proper position above a container for the operation of capping mechanism;

'Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure-shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional elevation and plan view showing the means for supporting the caps above a container to be capped; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, this view also showing the capped container in the position taken after the operation of the capping means.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the mechanism is mounted on a machine support or table 10. The caps C, which are formed of flexible material, are supported on their edges in a hopper which is formed by two pairs of rods 11 and 12, disposed in parallel relation to each other and mounted on a vertically extending plate 13 secured to a plate 14, which in turn is secured to a bracket 15 mounted on the table 10.

As shown particularly in Fig. 2, the caps C at their peripheries are supported by the pairs of rods 11 and 12. The plate 13 has an opening and on the front end of the plate, adjacent the opening 20 and slightly overlapping the opening, are mounted four conical resilient washers 21. These washers engage the outer periphery of the front cap and hold the cap as the stack of caps is resiliently pressed toward the opening 20 in the plate 13.

The stack of caps is pressed toward the plate 13 by a bar 22 which is slidably mounted on the rods 11, 11 and is engaged at 23, 23 by coil springs 24, 24. These springs pass around idlers 25, 25 mounted on the plate 13 and from the idlers 25, 25 the springs pass rearwardly and around idlers 26, 26 mounted on a vertically extending support 27 secured to the plate 14. After passing around the idlers 26, 26 the springs are carried forwardly and are secured at 28, 28 to the lateral edges of the plate 13.

It will be evident that the springs above described will exert a constant uniform pressure through the plate 22 against the stack of caps, pressing the stack toward the opening in the plate 13.

The caps are withdrawn, one at a time, from the stack by means of a suction cup 30 which is mounted on a 2,836,328 Patented May 27, 1958 post 31 carried by a slide bar 32, which is slidable in suitable guideways carried by the table 10.

The suction cup 30 is preferably connected to a vacuum pump so that suction may be exerted or released at the desired points in the sequence of operations of the machine. As shown, a suction pipe 35 is connected to the cup 30 and the pipe 35 is connected by a flexible pipe 36 to a valve casing 37 having mounted therein for vertical reciprocation a cylindrical valve 38 having a stem 39 extending upwardly through the casing 37. The inlet port 40 of the valve casing is connected by a pipe 41 to a suitable suction pump and the outlet port 42 is connected to the pipe 36. A second outlet port or vent 43 is provided in the casing 37 below the port 42.

As shown in Fig. l, the suction valve is open, passage from the inlet port 40 to the outlet port 42 being provided around the portion 45 of the valve stem. This will be the position of the valve when the suction cup 30 is moved forwardly into engagement with the end cap C at the front end of the stack. After this cap has been pulled past the washers 21, the valve 38 will be depressed, thus opening the port 43, which will cut oif the suction from the cup 30. The valve 38 can be controlled in its operation in any suitable manner, as by a cam 46 which is operated in timed relation to the operation of the slide bar 32.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1, after the cap C at the front end of the stack has been pulled through the plate 13, it will be released from the suction cup by engagement with a pairof vertically extending rods 50 and 51 which extend upwardly from a portion of the bracket 15. The cap will then engage, at its lower end, a strip 52 carried by the plate 14 and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom. The strip 52 will guide'the cap C as it falls and the cap will pass between this strip and the rods 50 and 51. After the cap has fallen downwardly by gravity and been guided in the manner described, it will pass into a space formed by vertically extending arcuate walls 55 and 56 formed on and extending upwardly from the base 57 of the bracket 15. i

The cap C will then come to rest on the upper surface of a portion 58 of the slide 32 and against an arcuate shoulder 59 formed on the slide 32. The slide 32 will then be actuated by suitable cam mechanism to feed the cap beneath the capping mechanism 60 and to a position above the container 61 to be capped. The cap will be fed by the slide 32 to the position shown in Fig. 4, where its outer periphery rests upon a pair of ledges 62 and 63 which are secured to bars 64 and 65. The edges of the cap at diametrically opposite points are engaged lightly by pins 66 and 67 which are slidably mounted in the bars 64 and and are pressed inwardly by springs 68.

In Fig. 5 the container to be capped is shown at 61A in the position below the capping mechanism 60 and before the cap has been applied thereto. Fig. 5 also shows at 61B the container with the cap secured thereto.

The particular capping mechanism 60 forms no part of the present invention and has not been illustrated. However, as the container 61 is raised from the position 61A, it will engage the cap and will move with the cap into the capping mechanism which operates to fold the outer edge portion of the cap around the lip of the container, as shown at 61B. After the cap has been so folded, the container moves downwardly again and the outer diameter of the cap has been sufiiciently reduced so that the periphery will clear the inner edges of the ledges 62 and 63.

The operation of the cap feeding and positioning mechanism may be summarized as follows. The slide 32 and the suction cup 30 are moved to the left, viewing Fig. 1, until the suction cup engages the outer surface of the cap C. Thereupon the slide and suction cup are moved to the right, viewing Fig.1, the suction is released,"the cap engages the rods 50and51, and'thereupon falls by gravity, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

During itstallirig movements ,it is tilted ,by engagement. with the strip52 andlfalls intothe'openingirmedby;

the walls V 55. and 56,1 coming tojrest on, the .lendQ ofjthe 'feeding slide 32, against the a'rcuaterabutment '9 I When the cap'h'as reached this position the slide moves forwardly'to position the rcapbeneath the capping rriechz. t

anism and on the ledges, 62 and 63. The cup 61 is then raised'to engage the cap which, by the capping mech anism is" folded around the rimof the cup'or container,

as shown at 613. in Fig. 5. It willbefunderstood that as one; cap is moved intolpositiontfor capping, another cap on the rstacklof capslin, the hopper wilLbe. engaged by thersuction cup and ,will be, withdrawn upon the retractive movement of the:cup and thefeedingslide;

Although) one specifioernbodiment, of the invention r f a aeaaa 7 direct communication with the hopper, and means forf moving the feeding member to feed the cap into capping position above a container, said cap withdrawing means and cap supporting and feeding means being carried by a common supporting member and fixedly connected to said-supporting member and being movable in unison in has been particularly shown and, described vit will,be=

understood thatrthetinvention-is capable-of modification and thattchanges in the construction and in the arrange+ ment oftheivarious cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims;

What I claim'is:

L Mechanism for feeding and positioning containercaps-,comprising. a horizontal hopper-having a vertical outletfor supporting a supply of caps on edge, .withdrawing means engageable with the forward cap inithe hopper for withdrawing the caps, one at a time, fixed vertical means engageable withthe outer surfaceof the:

withdrawn cap adjacent opposite edges thereof-for releasing the cap from the withdrawing means, means: beneath, the hopper outlet"engageable with the inner, edge .of the withdrawn cap for turning and guiding' thereleased cap downwar'dly, a cap supporting and feeding member. positioned; below the fallingcap, andin;

7 plane.-

parallel relationwith eachother and in a horizontal 2. (Mechanism for feeding andpositioning container caps comprising a horizontalhopper having a vertical' treleased'cap downwardly, a cap-supportingand .feedring member positioned below the falling cap and in direct communication with 1 the hopper, and means -;for 7 moving the feedingmember, to feedthe cap intotcapping t position above a container,- said cap withdrawing, means, being movable into engagement with'a i cap simultaneously with the'feeding movement of the cap feedingl means,

7 said cap rwithdrawing means and cap. supporting--meansi;

being rigidly connected to'each other andbeingrdisI-g posedtin and fmovable inparallel relation with 'each otherand inua horizontal "plane;

References Cited int the file of this patent 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS o 'Eggert Octr24, 1922,

'1 ,'432',;747 2,252,201: Price Aug. 12;" 1941 2,303,005 Swangren Nov. 24, 1942" 2,349,523

Sonnenberg- May 23; 1944 

